Newsletter

Hardeeville governance ordinance raises questions

Hardeeville City Council’s vote to make part of its 2011 Governance Guide an ordinance has raised concerns from Mayor Bronco Bostick.

City Council made the “Administration” chapter of the guide a law at its Sept. 20 meeting. The chapter states that the city manager sets the agendas for meetings, and lays out a code of conduct and procedures for the mayor, city manager and council members to follow.

Bostick said at that meeting that the ordinance weakens his office.

“I believe that the governance guide is helpful for the council, but it was an overkill to make it an ordinance,” Bostick said. “Rules and policy change every two years, and even the city manager has changed every two years.”

Council has used the governance guide for the past year. Bostick said the guide is a good tool, but he doesn’t agree with it when it takes away from the mayor.

“I would say, and always say, the ordinance is a little shaky and needs some clarity,” Bostick said. “My bigger problems is that there is nowhere in this state where the mayor is not allowed to write the agenda for his meeting.”

Bostick believes that, because the ordinance allows City Manager Bob Nanni to set the agenda, some things will not be addressed in a timely manner.

“I’m very aggressive and I like to see things get done,” Bostick said. “The ordinance allows the city manager to set the agenda, and I would address more things — like the local election commission incident — more quickly if I set the agenda.”

Nanni said because Hardeeville is under the council-manager government form, the city manager does set the agenda but receives input from all of council.

“There have been no timing issues that I’m aware of in our Hardeeville agenda since I have been here,” Nanni said. “I work with the majority of council and they have adopted the governance ordinance, so this is the way we will conduct the government.”

Bostick and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Sweeney voted against the ordinance, which passed by a 3-2 vote. Sweeney said the guide needs to be used, but he doesn’t see why there was a need for it to become an ordinance.

Residents also voiced concerns at the meeting, asking why the guide needs to be law. Richie Reed of Hardeeville said she has many questions about the ordinance.

“I expressed the fact that I have a lot of questions about the guide being adopted as an ordinance,” Reed said. “I’m concerned about a law that is really known as regular procedures.”